Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

What does it mean to be famous and what sentiments accompany that? Has the success changed you?

For a writer, to be famous is very abstract, because he does not have a direct contact with the readers. Therefore, the only visible change is that I know that several doors are open, and I have to choose the good ones. For example, I choose to participate on the Rainbow Project, sponsored by the First Lady of Poland, as I choose to engage myself into a Unesco program that tries to create a bridge between different cultures. I also created the Paulo Coelho Institute, which takes care of 430 children in Rio de Janeiro. If you understand Saint Paul’s motto “sic transit gloria mundi” (the glory of the world is transitory) you may do your best to use the success as a tool, not as an end itself.